I saw on demonstrated once and it looked good, of course the person doing the demonstration really knew what he was doing. To pricey for me other shop tools I need before buying this, but would like to know if anyone has it and how it preformed.

I’ve seen a couple of other sanders set up like this and 1” belt sanders converted as well. The Jigs are kind of interesting, but the price seems fairly high to me. I’m also wondering if a honing machine would not better suit my needs.

Hi Wayne, The one that I have is the 1” version that Shawn mentioned from Lee Valley, and I use their leather strop belt for honing. The main point that I would make is that you should ensure that the motor that you use can be wired with a direction reversal switch in addition to the power switch. For grinding or sanding an item being held on the platen, I run the belt downwards, towards the platen, but for honing with the tool edge held upwards so that you can see your progress, you MUST have the belt running UPWARDS to prevent the blade of the tool being sharpened from cutting into the belt, and you becoming the target for a sharp flying tool.

This is the Lee Valley version, and there are several types of belts and jigs available.

One model that I would not suggest for sharpening tools is shown below, even though their advertising photo on the box shows it being used this way. It is designed for non-metalic materials, as stated in the manual, and I have no problem there. But, if you take a close look at the photo, it clearly shows the belt direction on the side of the unit, and you can imagine what will happen as the hatchet blade becomes sharp enough to cut into the downward traveling belt (yes, I have reported this to the manufacturer, but basically received hostile responses. That is why I’m leaving their name out.).

A final point is that the earlier photos all show models without dust collection covers, and this is intentional on metal working tools so that there is no area where any sparks can come off the belt and land in wood dust where you can’t see it and become a smouldering fire hazard. On mine, I also use a metal plate under the lower end of the belt to protect my benchtop (from further scorch marks . . . oops).

I’d be concerned about the surface backing the belt. It just seems like a solution to a problems that’s solved better with other methods. It’s intriguing as a sander, just not as a sharpener. My 2. What do they want for it? It’s attractive, at least.

-- My dad and I built a 65 chev pick up.I killed trannys in that thing for some reason-Hog

In my opinion anyone with half a brain could do the same thing with what actually is on offer ,a belt linisher sander and a small adjustable toolrest ,very much cheaper than sorby is asking. This is an insult to the intelligence of ordinary people the emperors old old clothes. Sharpening on belt sanders is not new and has been around since belt sanders or disk existed. Alistair

If you want a less expensive sharpening method, you can also use 3M Micro-Abrasives sheets in 15 micron and 5 micron grit sizes. They are available in adhesive backed 8½” x 11” sheets which you can apply to a smooth surface (flat, or curved for gouges) such as scrap plexiglass. Try your 3M dealer or Lee Valley. I’ve used these for quite a few years and I’m very satisfied with the results. I still have the habit of using Flexcut Gold polishing compound to finish the job.

I’m kicking around getting something that is general purpose. I’ve been thinking Tormak with profiled wheel for stropping. The main use would be carving tools and as such I propably just need something strop. I’m not sure how much regrinding of carving tools I would do.

I have waterstones and a worksharp that I have been using for plane blades and chisels.. I’m not sure how excited I am about using the worksharp for carving tools. For turning tools, I use a wolverine jig on a grinder. Also, I would not mind reducing the number of methods I need to use.

Al, This guy is about $500 plus some extra jigs if wanted.

John, I will have to think about the sand paper option. I do have a profiled strop and some profiled stones for carving tools.

Hi Wayne, You’re correct about not normally doing much grinding on carving tools. Unless one is chipped, or you need to do some repairs or shaping on unsharpened or used tools, you should really only require honing to maintain the edges. If you want another possibility for power honing, you can consider buying or making a basswood or maple wheel to match your requirements. The catch is – you need well honed tools if you make the wheels.These 2 wheels are available from . . . http://www.chippingaway.com/ . . . and with a bit of honing compound they will keep your tools sharp. You just need a motor that will rotate the top of the wheel away from you as you work.The carving club that I belong to has a wide flat wheel with a leather band (try a leather belt blank from Tandy Leather) covering it as our final strop. Just make sure to skive the joint carefully to get a flat surface.